The overall aim of the project are (1) adapting procedures from previous research with osteoarthritis (OA) patients for use in measuring mood management in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), (2) content analyzing data from OA patients to arrive at reliable and valid methods for scoring mood management skills, (3) applying these refined procedures and measurement techniques to RA patients, and (4) comparing mood management skills across RA and OA. Because strong emotional states are a common and significant aspect of many chronic illnesses including arthritis effective management of moods is an essential aspect of coping with such illnesses. In this study we are developing and validating measures of mood management. These measures are intended eventually to serve as a basis for emotion management interventions.